The first time I visited Scottsdale, Arizona was two years ago for spring training and ever since I’ve always loved coming back. And not just for Buster Posey...I mean for baseball but because Scottsdale has the best weather, great energy, and lots of fantastic events for the community to enjoy.




Ben and I wanted to check out Scottsdale during the off season and enjoy the other activities and events in the area. We were in Scottsdale for a week and these were my favorite moments:

Waste Management Phoenix Open

I love watching golf...when it's on TV while I’m working out and especially if Dustin Johnson is wearing his usual tight pants. Ok but seriously, I've enjoyed watching the golfers play at the Safeway Open in Napa and when I heard about this notorious 16th hole that you don’t have to be quiet while the golfer is playing, I had to see it for myself.




The only golf tournament I’ve ever been to is the Safeway Open in Napa so you could imagine my surprise to see how massive this event was. The Phoenix Open draws an estimated 500,000 spectators each year. No wonder why they call it "The Greatest Show on Grass".




Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get into the 16th hole because there were just so many people so we enjoyed the event on foot following a few players. Congratulations to Rickie Fowler for being the People’s Champion at the Phoenix Open.

Aimee’s Animal Sanctuary

I love visiting animal sanctuaries because you get to connect with the animals on a deeper level. You realize where they came from and what difficulties they endured before arriving safely at a sanctuary. My experience at Aimee’s Animal Sanctuary was magical so I dedicated an entire post on it. Check it out here: Aimee’s Animal Sanctuary

Aravaipa Trail Run

Ben is a running maniac. I swear everywhere we go Ben finds an event to run. I’m not complaining because I love supporting my man. The Aravaipa Trail Run was located on Elephant Mountain with the most amazing views of the desert. If you want more on this, I’ve started a new series: Diary of a Marathon Girlfriend. Where I recap the day and experience as a marathon girlfriend during this particular event. Diary of a Marathoner Girlfriend: Elephant Mountain

1000 Lights Festival

I found out about the 1000 Lights Festival from good ol’ facebook. The event was located in Tempe at the Kiwanis Community Park. When we checked in we received wristbands and were directed to pick up our lanterns at another booth. The event brought a good mixture of people, there were lots of families, young couples, and playful pups. There were food trucks available as well as live music for everyone’s enjoyment.




We found a spot on the grass to assemble our lanterns. The mission of the festival is to help people to connect with their hopes, dreams, and loved ones, past and present. Many people write their wishes and dreams on their lantern in hopes one day they come true.




Once the sun set we lit our lanterns and set them in the water and watched them float away.

Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival

I pretty much flew to Arizona for the food festival. This was the event I was looking forward to the most because I love me some yummy vegan food. The Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival is a two day event located at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater where all the best restaurants and businesses come together and showcase their best vegan goodies. There were also live music, guest speakers, palm reading, aerial yoga, and dogs visiting from the humane society.




My favorite was the steamed bun at Hot Bamboo. If you know me I love a big bun. Inside of this steamy goodness is seasoned tofu. Add lots of sriracha and you’ve got love in a bun. I loved Hot Bamboo’s steamed buns so much that we purchased 25 buns to take back to California with us.




Second place was the "Italian" hot dog at Simon’s Hot Dogs. The vegan hot dog was topped with potatoes, onions, and smoked grilled peppers. My only regret is not trying their mac and cheese!




Lastly, Ben and I had to have a slice of pizza from Vagabond Vieiras Vegan Pizza. And once we got our pizzas we posed for a picture for the Phoenix New Times and made it on their news article! How cool is that?




Scottsdale has great events year round for just about everyone! I love that the community gets together for these events to enjoy each other and have fun in the beautiful weather. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I loved living it! Let me know if you’ve ever been to Scottsdale and if you’ve ever been to an event!